Just a few weeks ago we marked the 200th anniversary of the burning of the White House.

The dramatic event happened on Aug. 24, 1814, during the War of 1812. British troops marched into Washington, DC, and burned the White House in retaliation for the American attack two years earlier on the city of York in Ontario, Canada, explains Kat Imhoff (pictured right), who is president and CEO of The Montpelier Foundation.

“When the British arrived at the White House, they found that President James Madison and his first lady, Dolley, had already fled to safety in Maryland,” Imhoff says. “The soldiers reportedly sat down to eat a meal made of leftover food from the White House scullery using White House dishes and silver before ransacking the presidential mansion and setting it ablaze.”

In fact, that was just one of the momentous events of Madison’s presidency that Imhoff told my co-host Hope Katz Gibbs and me about during our interview with her for our latest episode of GratefulAmericanTV.com. Scroll down to click on the link to watch this episode, and to read our Q&A.

Also in this issue: You’ll learn some fascinating facts about why First Lady Dolley Madison was so iconic, and about an exhibit on display at Montpelier this month. And, Tim Bailey, the 2009 National History Teacher of the Year, explains why learning about history is so important for kids, and adults.

We hope you enjoy this issue of the Grateful American™ Newsletter, and we look forward to sharing more fascinating facts with you next month. — David Bruce Smith, founder and chairman of the board, Grateful American™ Foundation